Latino Daily News

Brazilian Use Tear Gas on Anti-World Cup Protesters

Brazilian police used tear gas and officers on horseback in Brasilia Tuesday to prevent some 2,000 anti-World Cup protesters from reaching the stadium where the coveted trophy was on display.

Police arrested three people and two cops were injured, one of them by an arrow fired by one of the Indians.

The protest was called by social movements angry over the amount of money Brazil is spending to host the soccer tournament, and it was joined by groups of Indians who on Tuesday had gathered in Brasilia to demand the speedy demarcation of their reservations.

The demonstrators tried to approach the Mane Garrincha national stadium, where the World Cup trophy is being exhibited on its last stop in this capital after being displayed in 89 countries and dozens of Brazilian cities.

The trophy on Wednesday will be taken to Sao Paulo, the city that will host the inaugural World Cup match on June 12 between Brazil and Croatia.

The demonstration was convened by the MTST Homeless Movement and the self-styled People’s Committee of Brasilia, who are two of the groups opposing the holding of the sporting event in Brazil.

The march began at the Brasilia bus terminal, some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the stadium, and continued in an orderly way until it was halted by a heavy police cordon, where the first disturbances broke out.

Some demonstrators threw stones at the police, who responded with tear gas, while mounted officers charged the crowd and dispersed it for a short time.

The protesters, however, regrouped several times and remained in the vicinity of the stadium, although they did not manage to get closer to it than 500 meters (1,600 feet).